Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says his support for the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election was purely political and not influenced by religion.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai admitted he backed the party’s decision, describing it as a deliberate strategy to secure victory at the polls.

“It was a political strategy, not a religious strategy. When contesting an election, you weigh every variable that can help you win. It has nothing to do with religion,” El-Rufai said.

He dismissed fears of religious exclusion, citing his own experience as Kaduna governor where he ran a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“We have done a Muslim-Muslim ticket now. Tell me, in what way are Christians short-changed? No leader that wants to succeed will restrict appointments to one religion or ethnicity. If you want to succeed, you have to diversify,” he added.

The APC’s choice of Bola Tinubu, a Muslim from the South-West, and Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from the North-East, drew heavy criticism in the build-up to the polls. Groups like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) branded the decision “insensitive” and a “threat to national unity.”

Despite the backlash, Tinubu won the February 2023 presidential election with 8.79 million votes, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the PDP with 6.98 million votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who scored 6.1 million votes. His victory survived court challenges and he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th president on May 29, 2023.